3 ways to amuse a Blue Whale

WARNING: Long post

I’m posting this early before the NZ vs Eng rugby game in case I don’t make it through the day due to the levels of excitement experienced today.
K managed to tick another item off her bucket list today - yes that is correct we spent the morning swimming with a blue whale!!!😍🐋🐋🐋🤪

We got picked up at 5.30am and Yohan from Trinco Water Sports, along with the captain Lager ( yep apparently he is a drinker!) took us out for a morning whale watch/ swim. They had express instructions not to spend too much time with any dolphins- our aim was to see and hopefully swim with the biggest mammal ever to exist on earth!! ( yes we sound like wankers but the blue whale was our goal).
There was a lot of expectation management with “don’t get your hopes up”, “ it’s poor weather to see the whales”, “ it’s the end of season.... blah blah blah”
After 40 mins Lager spotted a blow way off in the distance- off we sped snorkels ready. We watched 4 blows get closer.... and then there was the fluke! Wow the fluke of a massive blue whale. Excited but disappointed we reconciled with the fact we had just seen a live, v special whale pretty close up. However it didn’t end there......
To cut the most amazing next 2 hours short we had close up with the whale at least x 8 and both managed to get in the water with it x 4.
We both missed a couple of chances to see it from the water due to poor timing ( deciding whether to watch it from the surface or risk missing it from the water)- old moby was only on the surface for the shortest of times but I decided I was maximising chances of a swim and did the most spectacular entry, being able to spend a precious 20-30 seconds as it dived below me and then just hung there in the depths with me floating directly over it- when I got up to the surface Kate and Yohan were still on the boat..... I think my entry had stunned them into freezing!!! Holy shit swimming above this huge, incredible, majestic creature was mind blowing. I couldn’t stop smiling but was disappointed K had not got in.
Anyway 10 mins later Moby surfaces again not far from us so in K went and I followed with a bit more dignity this time...... 10 secs later we were all in the water with the biggest smiles on our faces - obviously Yohan still gets great joy from swimming with the whales.
By now it was 9.30am and we had been out for more than 3 hours and sadly it was time to return to shore- what an experience??!!
We laughed all the way home because what I left out was another couple of spectacular but different entries I managed to pull off due to excitement at getting in the water next to the biggest whale in the ocean- once I sat on the side and just rolled off backwards- no I didn’t have a dive tank on.... and I forgot to put my snorkel in my mouth!! ..... and I missed most of the whale but made Lager laugh!! Once I did the most massive jump I almost dive bombed Moby and the next tine I almost slipped off the side of the boat whilst going at speed to get in position!!
Anyway now back at the hotel, which kindly made us a v late breakfast and about to watch the rugby.... how much excitement for one day??!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_whale

https://lanka.com/about/interests/whales/Read more